Receptacle



APPLICATION .116. I912. 1,308,793.- Patented July 8, 1919.

ET I

2 SHEETS-SHE L. W. LUELLEN.

RECEPTACLE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 16. 1912.

- Patentd Jul 8, 1919.

- 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Witnesses E] l L'U a vtfo p WW0, m M41 UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LAWRENCE W. LUELLEN, OF BOOE'TON, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO INDIVIDUAL DRINKING CUP COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

RECEPTACLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 8, 1919.

Application filed February 16, 1912. Serial No.678,096.

1'0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LAWRENCE W. LUEL- LEN a citizen of the United States, residing I pecially to-that class of articles which are designed for but a single use. To prevent reuse or to render it unlikely, it is desirable that the articles should be susceptible of easy destruction in so far as ,their utility as a container is concerned. In addition itis necessary that the receptacle should be comparatively cheap so that it can be economically discarded after use, and at the same time it must pomess the necessary strength, be of a sanitary character, and, when intended to contain liquids, waterproof.

My invention is intended to fulfil these requirements and as shown consists of a receptacle which is cheap to manufacture, possess the necessary strength, is sanitary, waterproof, and so easily destructible that any substantial distortion thereof will destro or impair its usefulness.

'V hile-my invention may be embodied in various Ways, I have here illustrated it as a drinking cup which. is intended for a single use, and. whereof two modified forms are shown in the drawings.

Figure 1 is a top or plan view of a drinking cup embodying my invention.

ig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

- Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of a portion of the cup at one stage in its process of manufacture; and

Fig. 4 a similar view at a later stage of manufacture.

. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation similar to Fig. 2, but shows a flange upon the cup.

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the cup shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a top 'view of a completed cup-0f modified form.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary View of such cup at one stage in its process of manufacture.

Fig. 10 is a similar viewat a later stage of'manufaoture.

Fig. 11 isa' side elevation, partly broken away, of a flanged cup similar to Fig. 8; an Fig. 12 is a top plan vie-w thereof. 4 Similar numerals of reference indicate like parts in the drawings.

In the forms shown in Figs. 1 to 6, the cup is formed of a single sheet of paper or other fibrous material, the blank bein of circular shape and the center being-utllized as the bottom 1, of the cup. The side walls are formed in part by folding or plaiting the material of the outer portion of the blank, such plaits bein indicated at 2, as shown in Figs? 3 and 4. hese plaits are of tapering character, increasing 1n width upwardly, and the exact form or shape of the plaits varies according to the size, shape, and general contour of the receptacle desired. They may be first formed as shown in Fig. 3, either by' hand or by suitable machinery, and in the case of a cup of the configuration shown, the plaits or folds start from the bottom and increase in width until the overlapping portions are contiguous at the top. When the plaits are formed they are subjected to pressure, which results in their ,assuming substantially the position of arrangement shown in Fig. 4.

- Either before or afterthe formation of the plaits as shown, the material is coated or impregnated with paraffin, wax or other similar cementin material. Parafiin possesses the properties of being clean and sanitary and it is also waterproof. In addition it possesses adhesive properties sufiicient to cement the plaits or folds in the side walls of the cup together, and they thus constitute reinforcing ribs which add considerably to the strength of the cup and permit of the use of comparatively thin paper or fibrous material in the manufacture of the cup, thus keeping the cost thereof very low.

It is a characteristic of material applied in fuse arafiin or similar condition to the cup, that it will permeate the fibers of the paper, and where two or more thicknesses of paper occur will be drawn through from one layer of the paper to the next succeeding'layer bycapillary attraction, a portion of the paraffin remaining between the layers of paper and serving to cement the layers together as above indicated. In this way the desired cementin action is secured without the necessity of p ysically inserting the cementitous material between the layers of paper, which would greatly increase the labor and cost of production. The paraliin permeating the paper tends to stiffen the same and when cold to render the structure somewhat brittle, and at the same time is not a very strong adhesive so that any substantial distortion of the cup, such as pinching the side walls of the cup, causes the cup to crack or break along the vertical lines of single thickness between. the plaited portions or reinforcing ribs of the side walls of the cup, or causes the parafiin between the plants to give way thus releasing or separating the plaits. In this way the usefulness of the cup is materially impaired and it is clearly indicated to the observer that the cup has been previously used. After a single use of my cup, the user can simply pinch, squeeze, or

1 crush the cup, thereby destroying its usefulness and indicating clearly that it has been used and is not to be used again by others.

v In using the word destroyed, I do not,

of course, necessarly mean complete physical destruction, but merely the destruction or serious impairment of the usefulness of the cup. I prefer to use a water-proofing, stiffening and cementitious material which is fusible, as paraflin, as the same can be readily applied, hardens quickly, and makes a most satisfactory waterproofing substance. It is also a characteristic of such fusible materials, which have a comparatively low melting point, that hey vary somewhat in rigidity, being less rigid and therefore not so likely to crack at ordinary room tempera-= tures but becoming more rigid when cooled.

As my invention is particularly applicable projection, flange or lip at the upperrim.

This may be formed over molds, or in any other sultable manner. The molds serve to press the folds of material in the flange upon each other in which position they are held by the paraflin or other binder. The flange or l1p adds considerably to the normal strength of the article, and the cementing of the folds together in the flange holds the cup as firmly in shape, as is-desirable. The fact that, as .in the preferred form of my invention, the edges of the adjacent folds are substantially contiguous results in the production of a flange of practicallyuniform thickness, and. the flange being narrow will not interfere with the use of the cup for drinking purposes. In addition to its strengthening function the flange is of importance as providing means for dispensing'the cups by suitable apparatus, such as that shown in my Patent. No. 1,081,508. The flanges made in the manner described are sufficiently stiff to cooperate properly with the dispensing means such as shown in my patentreferred to, this result beingfurther promoted bymaking the flanges narrow. The cup as a whole, however, has sufficient flexibility to permit the same to be withdrawn through a contracted opening as described in said patent, and also permits the cups to be properly used in a dispensing device, such as shown in my Patent No. 1,043,854. The flanges are preferably not folded sharply out from the walls of the cup, but are slightly curved or rounded, as

shown in Figs. 5 and 11, thereby avoiding sharp creasing or "breaking of the paper at that point and so weakening the flanges. The maximum strength of the flanges is thus obtained for cooperation with the cup dispensing means. In some instances, I prefer to make my cups of an inverted, truncated cone shape,

as shown \in Figs. 2 and 8', although this is not essential, and the walls may be straight from end to end. ferred tapered shape and vending and dispensing devices, as the slight increase'in flexibility which occurs at moderate temperatures is desirable.

' In the form shown in Figs. 1 to 6, the side Walls of the cup are shown provided with simple folds or plaits 'and these will be found satisfactory for many purposes. In some cases, however, I prefer to form them with box plaits, such as are shown in F igs.

7 to 12, as by this means a smoother-surfaced article may be produced and one possessing great strength.

In either case the presubstantially smooth surface produced by pressing and In a number of the claims I have referred I to the material used for coating the cup or cementing the parts in. position as paraffin, but I do not intend by the use of this term to limit myself only to'substances which may be chemically designated by that name,

but 'I intendto include equivalent waxlike substances, or substances having substantially the characteristics which will permit the same to permeate the paper and render the cups sanitary, waterproof, sufliciently rigid for use and at the same time readily destructible.

It-is obvious that my invention may be embodied in many ways and forms and I do not mean to limit myself to the particular forms shown and described, but what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a paper drinking cup made of a single piece of paper having its side walls formed by folding the paper upon itself, coated and impregnated with paraffin, the paper being cemented in folded position by the paraffin.

2. As a new article of immufacture, a paper drinkin cup having its side walls formed by folding the paper upon itself to form plaits, the plaits being pressed down and the cup coated with a sanitary, waterproofing, permeating coating which cements the plaits in position so as to form reinforcing ribs for the cup.

8. As a new article of manufacture, a destructible receptacle formed of a single piece of paper, the side walls of the receptacle being formed by folding the paper upon itself to form plaits tapering from the top toward the bottom of the receptacle, the plaits being pressed down so as to give the cup a substantially smooth surface, and a coating of .fusible, cementitious material of slight adhesive properties on the receptacle, making the same waterproof and holding the plaits in position, and forming them into reinforcing ribs to strengthen the side walls of the cup.

4. As a new article of manufacture, a paper drinking cup formed of a single piece of paper, the center of the blank forming the bottom of the cup and .the outer portion of the blank being folded upon itself to form a plaited outwardly tapered side wall, the size of the blank, the size of the bottom,

.and the taper 0f the side wall being so proportioned that the edges of the plaits will be substantially contiguousat the top of the cup, the plaits being pressed flat and held in position by a fusible cementitious binder so as to form an easily destructible cup having a substantially smooth three-ply rim.

5. As a newarticle of manufacture, a paper drinking cup formed from a single blank of paper, the bottom bein formed from the center of said blank an the side the top of the cup, the rim of the cup being turned outwardly to form aflange, sald folds being secured in place by paraffin and thecup reinforced by paraffin.

(3. As a new article of manufacture, a frusto-conical paper drinking cup formed from a. single sheet of paper, the side walls of which are provided with folds or plaits formed from the surplus material of the blank,-said folds or plaits reinforcing and strengthening the side walls of the cup and terminat ing in an outwardly directed rim at the top, said folds of the rim being'held together and reinforced "by paraffin.

T. A drinking cup having a side wall formed of paper folded upon itself to present a multiplicity of closely associated narrow folds capable of n'iaintaining the wall in predetermined outline when the folds are secured together, said wall merging into an outwardly extending lip portion, and a strengthener and binder of paraffin applied to the cup, cementing the layers of the folds together and continuing along the folds at the side of the cup, through the lip portion thereof, and around the junction therebetween, to stiffen the same.

8. As a new article of manufacture, a drinking cup formed of a single piece of paper and having a tapered side wall including superimposed layers of the paper impregnated with and held together by a fusible cement.

9. A paper drinking cup made from a one piece flat blank of paper and having a rim formed by a plurality of layers of the paper reinforced with paraffin between and uniting the layers.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LAWRENCE l/V. LUELLEN.

lVitnesses:

lVM. (J. DUNN, I

( nas. LYON RUSSELL. 

